Our favorite thing about China

So after all the sights, antiquities and lazy susans (Chinese food), our favorite experience in China was meeting the people. In spite of all the upheavals they have been through of the Communist government the last sixty years, they still have hope, in the future that things will get better. They play games with their neighbors, grow beautiful vegetable gardens and love their one child. They take care of their aging parents and are kind and helpful to all the "big nose" tourists who cross their paths. We are so grateful to be home and see blue skys again and drink water from the tap. God bless America and God bless China!

Amazing Forbidden City!

An unexpected surprise included strolling through the Olympic complex. The indoor track and field building behind, the Bubble where Michael Phelps won gooooold is bottom left.

We made it to the third guard tower on the 2,000 plus year old Great Wall. It was breathtaking, literally!

A farmer digging for a well in Xian in 1978 stumbled across one of the Emperor Qin's tombs with thousands of terracotta warriors. Within a few days the bright colors oxidized. Only two were intact the rest have been painstakingly glued together from thousands of pieces.

China Adventure

China Adventure

After a 14 hour flight from San Francisco, Hong Kong appeared from a beautiful red horizon at about 6:00 a.m. We enjoyed an overview of the island from Victoria Peak, a sampan ride, the Stanley street market,and a stop at the Hong Kong temple before we finally crashed that night! We bused to Shenzhen's Ethnic Cultural Village (56 minorities in China) and experienced two massive cultural show. We then flew to Guilin where we climbed to the Reed Flute Cave and cruised the mystical Li River. From there we flew to Chongqing, (32 million living in highrise apts!) where we saw the pandas, went to the Stillwell Museum (Flying Tigers aided China withstand Japan's invasion), Dazu (ancient Bhuddist grotto sculptures) and visited a small farm.